FOUR INTERESTING MATERIALS FOR LATE 2024
28 August 2024 – The following materials, still at an early or mid technological readiness level, can be prepared and tested in-house for preliminary R&D work or dissemination purposes, employing a metallurgy lab (5kN universal testing machine with small punch test modding + small tube furnace + modified 3D printer for injection molding + standard lab equipment) worth as little as 5k euros:
- Fe-18Cr-8Ni-2Mn-1Cu-0.1N (austenitic stainless steel): automotive applications;
- Fe20Cr20Ni20Mn20Co20 (high entropy alloy): similar to austenitic steel, space applications;
- 70% PLA + 20% PHB + 10% limonene as plasticizer (bioplastic): packaging applications;
- PLA with 2% graphene nanoplatelet (conductive polymer): electronics applications.
There are no non-standard risks associated, so any qualified operator should be able to process the materials and execute the tests by following checklists for safety and for the reliability of results.
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NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SMART-SENSING COATINGS IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
15 September 2024 – Multilayer coatings with smart-sensing capabilities for early warning could tentatively protect standard austenitic steels in extreme environments against corrosion, yet their technological readiness level is low. A case study we are interested in is 316L stainless steel with Alumina-forming austenitic steel (Fe-Ni-Cr-Al) top layer for Gen IV European lead-cooled fast reactor.
Preliminary numerical analyses can sustain the r&d process using Windows 10, open-source software packages and dummy yet realistic inputs, in search of criticalities before lab-level experiments:
- LAMMPS for atomic-scale simulations of the layer structure, focusing on radiation effects, diffusion processes and the formation of the layer;
- OpenFOAM to model the liquid lead flow and its interaction with the coating surface, considering heat transfer, oxygen transport and corrosion product dissolution;
- Python with SciPy for corrosion kinetics modeling, electrochemical simulations and sensor response analysis, with a particular focus on the growth and stability of the layer;
- Abaqus free license (< 1000 nodes, non commercial use) for thermal-mechanical stress analysis of the coating under operating conditions, including the effects of the growing oxide layer.
Results from different scales would be integrated using Python for data analysis and visualizazion.